Federer Into Round Three in Paris

Hey guys, a rainy day here in England but it was much brighter in Paris as Roger comprehensively dismantled Somdev Devvarman 6-2 6-1 6-1 to book his place in the third round where he will meet Frenchman Julien Benneteau.

As I said in my prediction post I expected Devvarman to play solidly and create some nice rallies and that’s exactly what we got. I was a little susprised at how passively Devvarman played but none the less he is quite effective at keeping the ball in play and that meant Roger could really tee off on his groundstrokes which made it highly entertaining.

Quick Match Analysis

Well like my last match analysis this won’t be very thorough simply because there isn’t much to go through. The best word to describe this match is: exhibition.

I actually missed the first two games as I was en route home from work but as soon as I got in Roger had won the first 8 points of the match and was already cruising his way to the first set.

For Devvarman to have any sort of say in this contest he had to get off to a good start so to lose his first service game to love was a disaster for him and just allowed Roger sit back, relax and let the forehand do the talking.

Basically that was that and the single break was soon turned into a double break as Roger served out the set to love sealing it with a sick forehand.

As for the second set the trend continued and Devvarman could do very little to prevent his serve been broken at will and even though he dug deep to hold in the first game he was soon down a break and this time Roger went one better serving up a breadstick to his Indian opponent who couldn’t muster any real resistance.

The third set saw Roger just completely play freely, going for every shot in the book with conviction, making a few errors and hitting some insane winners in the process, I thought it was going to be a bagel at one point with Roger cruising to a 5-0 lead in what felt like 30 seconds but Devvarman managed to string a service game together to avoid the embarrassment of not winning a game.

That however was short lived as Roger fired down some more decent serves and then closed it out with a sweet inside out backhand up the line. 6-2 6-1 6-1. Routine.

Match Stats

Roger Federer

Somdev Devvarman

Aces

3

2

1st Serves In

62%

61%

1st Serve Points Won

75%

41%

Fastest Serve

199 KMH

189 KMH

Average 1st Serve Speed

180 KMH

164 KMH

Average 2nd Serve Speed

152 KMH

134 KMH

Net Points Won

19 / 30 (63%)

3 / 14 (21%)

Break Points Won

7 / 14 (50%)

0 / 3 (0%)

Receiving Points Won

40 / 75 (53%)

7 / 65 (26%)

Winners

54

12

Unforced Errors

33

14

Total Points Won

88

52

All round solid match stats.

Thoughts on the Match

Overall I’m very happy with Roger’s performance today, it was very easy but regardless he was definitely striking the ball cleanly. I know there will be some fans who will say “oh this is too easy” or “ah he hit some nice shots but made too many errors” but I have to disagree with those statements.

I definitely like Roger to have testing matches but in the second round of a slam they are in no way essential, in these types of matches conserving energy and finding your form is what you want to happen and that is exactly what happened today.

As for hitting wild shots, I don’t really care about that, the key stat is always do Roger’s winners outnumber his unforced errors, if the answer is yes, like today, then this is a successful match.

When there’s daylight between those two numbers it’s very rare Roger is on the losing end of things. It’s only when the errors out number the winners or they are constantly trading places you need to get worried.

I was pretty happy to see him try and go ultra aggressive off both wings and see what he could do, yes he missed some shots but he made plenty too and in the later rounds there’s going to be times when he can’t just “play it safe” so figuring out what’s possible and what isn’t possible when he’s 4-0 up and cruising is a very smart move.

In terms of the match this was just a completely one sided affair, Devvarman is consistent and does play some nice points but he just has no power which means he cannot dicate a point in a million years.

Even when he had Roger defending he never really looked capable of finishing things off and that was clearly reflected at how often his serve was broken, 7 times in 14 attempts. To put things in perspective I think Roger has won slams and not lost his serve that many times throughout the whole tournament.

In terms of stats they’re all good, 54 winners to 33 unforced errors, 7 out of 14 break points converted, saved all 3 break points, winning 19/30 at the net and serving at 62% are all very solid for a second round match. And for you stat junkies out there this was the 47th match Roger has played at Grand Slam level that finished in under 90 minutes, insane.

As a fan you can’t really ask for more here so early on in the tournament, as long as Roger improves round by round, which I think he did today ever so slightly these are good signs. And with the draw opening up more and more by the day this could be a very successful tournament as now both Berdych and Gublis have fallen at the hands of Gael Monfils.

Monfils is really finding form right now and he could easily make the Quarters or the Semi’s with the way he is playing, he’s been out injured for ages but won a futures tournament and then made the final in Nice before the French started so he really is riding the crest of a wave.

I happen to think Monfils is quite good to watch, he can be a complete clown on court and make some stupid shot choices that cost him dear but he actually has a big game and is a very good mover on clay. I mean it took Federer playing at his best to take him out the French Open in 2009, and they met in 2011 at Roland Garros too in the Quarters so he knows how to play here that’s for sure.

Predictions vs. Benneteau

Next up is Benneteau, which I think means time for some revenge after the Rotterdam loss with a straight sets beatdown and that’s what I fully expect to happen.

I know when the draw came out everyone automatically got worried about Benneteau being in Roger’s section but I think there’s absolutely no way he’s causing Federer any problems here. Benneteau is better on hard courts anyway but I just think Roger will school him here and take his game apart.

I’m even more convinced now I know that Benneteau was struggling physically in his 5 set win over Kamke, I didn’t see but apparently he hurt his leg, lost the 4th set 6-0 but came from a break down to win 6-4 in the fifth. Kamke actually won more points in the match so a big big choke from him and Benneteau did well to get out of that one.

Usually tough matches gives players confidence but I figure Benneteau will be dreading Roger here, he’s just spent a long time on court and isn’t feeling great physically so he’s bound to go into this one with a negative mindset.

If you’re going to beat Fed you definitely can’t be starting the match without feeling good physically. French tennis players are fragile as it is, and Benneteau is no different so I think once Roger gets an early break the writing is on the wall with this one.

So yeah, only way this one goes badly is if Benneteau played some inspired stuff and Fed is at his absolute worst. I think there’s more chance of Wozniacki winning a slam than those two things happening so the smart money is on Fed here.

I’ll go for a 6-2 6-2 6-4 victory. It’s on Friday and I’m guessing Roger will be back on Chatrier, which makes no difference to me really as he plays better on Lenglen as far as I’m concerned but centre court is just a happy a hunting ground. Allez!

About Jonathan

Huge fan of Roger Federer - I'll pretty much try and watch all his matches from Grand Slam level right down to ATP 250. When I'm not watching or tweeting about tennis I play regularly myself and use this blog to share my thoughts on Fed and tennis in general.

I kind of agree with you bout the errors Jonathan, but only to a certain extent: a lot of those errors (especially in first a second set) came of routine shots where he did not even try to attack. I love the attacking tennis, but a I think he should have a lot less errors. Not important against devarman, but later on it might cost him. I’d also like him to have a better %age behind his 1st serve, especialy against someone like somdev….

Benetteau should definitely be a breeze. I just hopes he doesn’t pull out…

Monfils is looking good! I want to see him go far, and play some good tennis like these last two matches. Hope clownfils doesn’t come back too quickly

First serve percentage certainly needs to go up. Somdev got a brief peek at break points three different times. I’ve got nothing much to say about the match itself though.

These new nearly-body-hugging shirts Nike has him wearing had the commentators go on such tangents as “Has he put on some weight? Must be all the Swiss chocolates tee hee” and express amazement at him perspiring “Do I see Roger sweating? Must have spilled some water. NO?!”. Why not just give him a classic polo? He’s not riding in the Tour de France you know.

Very solid match. To hit 54 winners in 22 games is amazing, especially because Somdev is a decent mover and gets a lot of balls back. The errors aren’t worrying because he went ultra-aggressive and that’s how he needs to play to beat a Tsonga or Djokovic.

Devvarmann was hopeless! Fed was in first gear all the way. Benneteau needs to be respected but will be knackered after 2 x5 setters! Think Monfils will eventually run out of steam. Still looking at a Fed v Ferrer semi.

I can conclude, after my investigative research, that both Jonathan’s, the first commentator, and the author of this post, are one and the same person. Scamsters! You’ve been ratted out, Jonathan and Jonathan

Devvarman is spelt with 2 V’s. How was that a Yawn match? Did you see some of Roger’s insane shots? The winner of the return of a smash? The insane IO FH setting up match point? The number of BH DTL today including the one on MP?

Looks like more a practice match to me. He is trying a lot of stuff and didn’t even need to move to 2nd gear. Benneteau can be one irritating player but I think Roger is capable to pull off straight sets win here. Just realized that Roger will be meeting 3 Frenchmen in a row – Simon and Tsonga. This is going to be interesting

Kyle, Devvarman is a nobody, he may become good in the future, but right now, he is “the” nobody among a bunch of nobodies There is no reason to get carried away with this performance and also the next. Simon and Tsonga await. So does Ferrer. Calm down everyone!

Been a while since I commented but I’ve been reading and enjoying your blog posts nonetheless. I just don’t always have much to add but today I will put my brief two cents in.

First, I loved that Roger was so aggressive today even if it wasn’t much of a challenge. He got to experiment a bit and like you said, he’s gonna need those attacking shots more and more as he meets those other top guys. It was nice to relax and enjoy just watching him…without a lot of tension for a change. I agree he really doesn’t have to worry much about Benneteau but I guess we’ll find out and go from there.

Second, I’ve held my tongue long enough so here goes…I hate the haircut. But not as much as I hate the outfit. The hair will grow back and let’s hope for no more unforced errors at the barber! But please, please go back to the polo!

I went back to look and yep, disaster! Personally, it seems Roger might be a bit bored with his outfits. He’s made comments that he collaborates with Nike on styles, colors, etc., so he may be more involved with the changes than we think. Whatever it is, it’s NOT working for many of us, obviously!

It was a peRFect match from Roger!
He seemed to be in control throughout, so much so that he looked to be toying with Somdev at times. The stats look great and I agree with you that as long as winners > UEs, the stats are good. He played an aggressive match, so it was only obvious that he missed some shots.
Hope Benneteau won’t cause many problems, although I would like him to at least challenge Fed a bit, because Devvarman couldn’t do the task and I’d like Roger to be challenged a bit before the big matches (if he gets far enough).

Weather

Connect With Perfect Tennis

About peRFect Tennis

Hey, I'm Jonathan. I started up peRFect Tennis back in May 2011 because I wanted to be able to share my thoughts on Tennis, and on my favourite player Roger Federer.

I first took notice of Fed back in 2001 when he beat Sampras at Wimbledon. Back then, like most Brits I was a Henman fan, clinging onto the belief he could still win Wimbledon.In fact, I was actually glad Tim beat Roger at Wimbledon that year!

Ever since then though, I've followed Federer's career closely, been lucky enough to see him play live on several occasions and now use this blog to analyse matches, make predictions, and share everything and anything Federer related.

If you want to learn abit more about peRFect tennis and what to expect from my blog, then head over to my about page.